Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s former leader Imran Khan braved roadblocks to gather on the outskirts of the capital Islamabad in September 2024. However, a video circulating on social media after the rally dates back to when he was prime minister. AFP journalists said the location shown in the footage was not hosting a mass rally for Khan on the day it was posted online.
The video showing a huge crowd has since been viewed more than a million times shared on facebook on September 8, 2024.
The caption in Urdu read: “Sea of people in Islamabad.”
The report circulated on the same day that Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party largest demonstration in Islamabad since he was jailed last year on various charges, some of which are still pending in court (archived link).
Thousands of Khan’s supporters gathered in the capital’s Sangjani district, despite attempts by authorities to block main routes into the capital.
The video was also shared with a similar false claim on Facebook here And here; and on the social media site X here And here.
However, a reverse search for keyframes using Google Lens found it matched footage of a rally issued by the PTI on March 27, 2022 (archived link).
At the time, supporters of then Prime Minister Khan gathered to protest when he was confronted with a motion of no confidence in parliament (archived link).
Below is a screenshot of the comparison of the wrongly shared video (left) and the PTI video (right), with similar elements highlighted by AFP:
The caption on the video read: “It’s a parade ground right now, but there will be several more demonstrations!”
“Parade grounds” refers to the area in the Shakarparian Hills of Islamabad where Pakistan’s annual military parade is held (archived link).
A image of protesters flying PTI flags was geotagged at the Shakarparian Parade Ground on Google Maps in March 2022 (archived link).
The site is closed to the public year-round. According to AFP reporters, no meetings were held on September 8, 2024, the day the fake news circulated online.
Khan was ousted in 2022 after falling out with the military establishment. He has been in jail since August 2023 on charges he insists are aimed at preventing him from returning to office.
AFP has repeatedly debunked misinformation about Khan.